A Night To Remember
by midnightspyder
Summary: When a tiger with no alliances appears in the forest, how will the world react? Warnings: Violence, teen themes, and a slight shift in the original Hawksong plot line.
1. Prelude

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Prologue

The battle raged, just like it always did. serpiente verses avians, again and again.

This time it was different. An onlooker watches, watches people die. A waste, all a waste. She notices something from her perch in a tree. A small boy, too small to be fighting, for sure. Just a child.

Anger coursed through her. A child! Fighting! This shouldn't be happening.

It was a young serpiente boy. An older boy, obviously his brother stood close to him, trying to shield him from most of the attacks. The brother appeared to be not much older than the child.

_What has this war come to?_ The silent watcher thought to herself. Suddenly there was a shift in the battle. The Avians surged forward, swamping the serpiente.

The onlooker watched with horror as the older brother was killed by a knife straight into his heart. The child backed away, terrified.

He was quickly felled by a knife jab straight into his face.

The onlooker felt rage course through her as the child toppled over, landing next to his brother. The avian soldier who had killed them both laughed at his small victory.

She felt her form change. A shifting, rippling feeling went through her.

She jumped form the tree, landing on the boy's killer. He was quickly disposed of, as she moved on to the next avian in her immediate area.

She was in a blood lust, but she didn't care. All she could think about as the murder of an innocent child, all she could see was the child falling to the ground, dead.

She lost herself in the blood lust, fangs tearing and claws flashing, killing any avian who dared to come across her path.


	2. Chapter 1

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 1

Zane Cobriana felt horrible. How had all this happened? He asked himself.

They were moving around the serpiente/avian border, checking for possible attacks, when they were ambushed.

Not long before, they had come across a refugee serpiente family, wandering around with nowhere to go, nothing to eat, and now weapons to protect themselves. A father, older son, and a younger son.

Zane had equipped them with knives, and offered them a place to stay near the palace.

He had prayed that they would find no trouble. The family obviously had a will to fight, but no training. They would get killed in a real battle.

They had not gone far, when they were attacked.

The father was killed almost instantly by an avian archer. The two boys stood together, side-by-side, trying to ward off attacks. Zane tried to move towards them, to protect them, but just as he began to move in that direction, the avians surged forward.

Zane watched with horror as the two boys were killed, one right after the other. _No! This shouldn't be happening! This was wrong, unreal! It had to be!_He moved towards the boys attackers, knife drawn and ready, when he heard a roar.

A huge tiger jumped out of a tree, landing on the killer.

Claws flashed, and he was dead. _What is a tiger doing here? _Zane thought to himself.

He watched in amazement as the tiger turned and began tearing apart the closest avian. Zane quickly killed the avian who had decided to attack him.

When he spun around again, the tiger had killed several more people, all avians.

He began to get worried for his men. The tiger was obviously in a blood lust, killing anyone who got in its way.

He began motioning for his men to retreat. They backed away from the battle as the tiger caught the attention of the avians.

It seemed as though none of them could land a blow on it. Its fangs willing ripped into any who came too close, and its claws seemed to be everywhere at once.

Zane watched with a mixture of fear, horror, and amazement as every avian there was brutally killed.

The tiger stopped moving, its flanks heaving. It stood alone in a huge pile of corpses and gore. It spun around, looking for more attackers.

It stopped, staring straight at Zane. Its eyes held an intelligence that no regular animal could. Zane registered surprise. It's a shape-shifter! He had never seen nor heard of a Mistari so violent as this one.

The tiger stood still for a moment, and then turned and ran away from the scene, leaving behind a total avian casualty count of fifty while only ten of the forty-three serpiente had died.

As Zane pike up the body of the child to carry it to the palace for a proper burial, he saw the tree where the tiger had jumped from. Deep claw marks marked a branch, obviously the one it had been sitting on.

Zane wondered about the tiger. When he thought about it, it had an odd coat color. It wasn't really orange, but more of a gold, much like the color of the royal hawk's feathers. He wondered at that, and what had caused such a reaction from it, and why it had only killed avians.

It was strange to be sure. He wold have to warn the rest of the troops about this strange new addition to the forest.


	3. Chapter 2

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 2

Rachael Brighteyes ran, and ran, and ran some more in her tiger form. She finally stopped after she was so tired she couldn't move another step.

She flopped to the ground, and shifted into her human form. Her hands and mouth were stained with blood.

Luckily for her, she had stopped running near a stream. She slid forward, falling into the edge of the water. The bloodstains began to wash away in the slight current of the shallow stream.

Rachael rested her head on the bank of the creek, worn out.

The cool water streamed past her, calming her. She was partially horrified at herself. She hadn't been in a blood lust like that since... No! She wouldn't think about that day.

She slowly climbed out of the stream, and shifting back into her tiger form, she climbed into a nearby tree, to sleep off some of her exhaustion.

As she faded into sleep, she wondered what the serpiente must have been thinking seeing a normally calm Mistari kill so many avians.

_Oh well, I guess they must be a little happy... I saved some of their lives, after all._

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(A/N This chapter seemed longer on paper... :{ )


	4. Chapter 3

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 3

Andreios shook his head in disappointment and anger. A search and rescue party had been looking for a full patrol that had gone missing.

They had found them.

A full patrol, all dead. The bodies still laying the dirt where they had fallen. Serpiente blood was found, but no bodies.

It was obvious what had happened. The two groups had met, and they had fought. The evil serpents had obviously won.

But it had been a brutal win. Most of the avians who had been found had vicious claw and teeth marks in them, and many of them had had body parts or their entire bodies torn to shreds.

Rei felt sick as he thought about it. His stomach churned. No serpiente could have caused those marks. They obviously had a powerful ally, one which needed to be converted or killed quickly if the avians wanted to have any chance of winning the war. If the serpentine were to keep such a powerful ally, then there was no hope for them all...

Andreios sighed and raked his hands through his hair. He stood, and prepared himself to go make a report to Nacola.

_This will be interesting,_ he thought to himself. He walked out of the room, his mind still filled with thoughts of what could cause such brutally violent deaths.


	5. Chapter 4

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 4

Several weeks had passed. Zane hadn't seen the mysterious tiger again, nor had he seen any signs of it anywhere. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about it.

His mind was full of questions. Where had it come from? What was it doing here? Was it an ally, or was it just a convenient killer? Did it only kill avians, or just people who had pissed it off? What did the avians do to piss it off? Where was it now? He wasn't sure, but he wanted to get him/her on HIS side as quickly as possible.

He headed out to patrol, wondering if he was going to find a fight this time.

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Andreios flew down to the courtyard of the Hawk's Keep to get his patrol together. They left, heading into the forest.

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Rachael began moving again after a short break. Something was keeping her moving, searching for something. She wished she knew what she was looking for.

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Zane stopped walking. He had heard a noise, but couldn't identify it.

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Andreios watched at the leader of the patrol of the serpiente stopped walking.

He signaled for his men to attack.

They rushed forward into battle.

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Rachael heard the sounds of battle, and moved towards it, jumping from tree to tree.

She stood above the scene, and studied the situation.

It seemed as though the serpiente had been taken by surprise, and they were consequently losing.

She saw the cobra prince she had seen in the first battle. He had tried to rescue the boys... and he had not attacked her while her back was turned.

He was currently fighting for his life, struggling against multiple attackers.

Maybe she should help him...

Most of his men were already wounded or dead. She saw the leader of the avians. She recognized him from... No! She wouldn't think about that day. She couldn't help the emotions from welling up. Anger, helplessness, defeat... she felt horrible!

She felt the need for revenge coarse through her.

Rachael leaped from the tree, claws flashing.

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Zane was relieved. Saved again, by the mysterious tiger.

Many of his men were dead, but the remaining few were backing away from the tiger, who was finishing off the last of the avians.

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Andreios had learned what had caused the mysterious deaths of his troops. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of this. He had seen wounds like this before, on a night much worse then this one.

The tiger that was now staring at him was larger than it had been then. It had to be the same one. It had that unusual coat color.

He shifted into his crow form and flew into the air, just as the tiger leaped at him. Its claws caught his leg, leaving a short, moderately deep cut.

He flew straight for Hawk's Keep, leg bleeding, hearing the angry roar of the tiger behind him.


	6. Chapter 5

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 5

Zane watched as the tiger leaped at the leader of the avians. It roared in anger as he flew away.

The tiger landed gracefully on the ground. It stood still watching the sky for a moment.

Zane stepped forward. "Thank you." He said.

The tiger whipped around, surprised. It acted as if it had forgotten he was there. It looked at him for a moment, and then started to shift into human form.

Moments later, Zane was staring, surprised, at one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, despite the blood stains.

She stood a full head shorter than his 6 feet. Her orange/gold hair rippled to her mid-back and partially obscured her face. She stood with a strong, confident stance. Her body was fit, but still had some curves to it. She looked up at him across a few feet of blood stained battlefield. She tossed her head, revealing her face. Her eye were the color of brass. They seemed molten somehow, like the color was shifting. Her eyes held pain and regret deep in them.

Zane took a step forward. The girl watched him warily. "I didn't do this for you," she said, gesturing to the bodies at her feet.

"Then why did you?" Zane asked, confused, but still plotting as to how he could get this girl on his side.

"For revenge. The avians have done a great injustice against me."

_Revenge, huh? Pretty severe revenge, _Zane thought to himself. "We too have a reason for revenge against them."

She looked at him, steadily. "I suppose."

"Even if you did not do this deed for me or my people, this is the second time you have saved mine and my troops' lives. Is there some way I could thank you?" Her stomach rumbled, loud enough for Zane to hear it across the space between them. "Some food perhaps, and some new clothing, since yours are stained?"

"I suppose. Thank you." She said.

"Well, um, follow me then." Zane was unsure of himself. He hadn't expected her to agree. "Troops, move out!"

They began moving towards the palace, with the girl walking alongside Zane.


	7. Chapter 6

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 6

Andreios couldn't believe it! The same exact tiger from before... it went beyond all reason.

And now that serpiente bastard would be luring it to his side, and there was nothing he could do about it.

On top of it all, he had lost another flight, and had received a rather nasty, painful leg injury. This Mistari had to be stopped, as soon as possible.

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Rachael didn't know what to think. This cobra had been kind to her, giving her a place to sleep, food, and new clothes, despite his girlfriends (and maybe also his guards?) protests.

It was a nice enough place, but it wasn't the forest. She actually missed it, her home. She had been born there, and... she quickly stopped herself from thinking about that day.

She lay down to sleep.

The next morning, she thanked the cobra for his kindness, the ran from the palace in her tiger form.

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Zane was disappointed. He had tried to get the girl to stay. He had tried to make her feel welcome, despite Adelina's protests.

Oh well. Maybe he still be able to get her to save his ass every once in a while.


	8. Chapter 7

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 7

Another battle, another day. Rachael watches them. She is bored.

The cobra prince fights alongside someone, she sees. A woman with the same physical features as him. His sister? What we she be doing here of all places? They weren't really all that far from the palace, but still...

She fell, holding her stomach. She slowly stood again, wincing in pain. Rachael now saw that she was pregnant. What was she doing HERE? Why in the world would they allow her to be here?

She looked around. The avians had them surrounded. No chance of escape...

Rachael nearly fell out of the tree as a shriek of pain filled the clearing. She whipped her head around, looking for the source of the sound.

The prince was crouching down next to the young woman. He was yelling now, screaming at the gods for help.

_I can save her._ Rachael thought. _If she can be taken to a doctor fast enough... I might as well intervene._ She quickly leaped from the tree, mowed down some avians who were in her way, and skidded to a halt. She growled at the the cobra, and crouched down next to the woman.

She looked bad. The knife had pierced her swollen belly, very deeply. Rachael could only hope it wasn't poisoned.

He looked at her, them seemed to realize what she was indirectly telling him to do. He called over two of his soldiers, and they carefully lifted the now unconscious woman onto her back.

Zane shifted forms and slithered up around the woman's arm.

Rachael began to run through the path the serpiente had managed to create through the soldiers. She ran smoothly, so as not to move the body on her back. She ran as fast as she could, know that she had two lives to save.

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(A/N) I'm sorry these chapters are so short. I just find a good stopping point, and then leave it there... and they look soo much longer on paper.

And don't ask how the woman stayed on Rachael's back. She just did. Because I said so.

:p


	9. Chapter 8

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 8

Zane was in shock. Rebekah was hurt! The tiger girl had shown up again, and was now running at a breakneck pace through the forest for the palace.

His unborn nephew may still die.

In his cobra form, he was wrapped around his sister's arm. He could feel her fading heartbeat.

He could also tell when they reached the palace.

He felt the vibrations of a roar rumble through the space around him, then the running became more smooth as they began to run across stone.

Hands lifted his sister off the Mistari's back, and he quickly slithered off Rebekah and shifted. The female tiger shifted as well.

He watched, as several physicians circled around his sister, who lay on the bed.

Despite his protests, the doctors drove him into the hall to wait. The girl was leaning against the wall there, staring out the window opposite her.

Zane now realized that he had never found out her name. He turned to her. "What is your name?"

She looked at him with a blank stare. "Who's asking?"

"Zane Cobriana."

"Rachael Brighteyes."

Rachael turned her head again, looking out the window. He vaguely wondered what she found so interesting. "Thank you. For saving my sister."

"What was she doing on the battlefield in the first place?"

"She wanted to go for a long walk. We were ambushed."

"Hm." She continued to look out the window.

The doctor opened the door. "Zane..." he stopped short at the sight of Rachael look at him intently.

"Continue. She brought Rebekah here."

"Sir, we can save either the child or her, but not both. I'm sorry. You have to choose."

Zane was horrified. He had to choose, his unborn nephew, or his sister, now?!

Rachael pushed herself off the wall. "Let me see her. I might be able to save her and the child."

Zane looked at her, a glimmer of hope lighting the future. She had determination in her eyes. "Very well. Please help her."

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Rachael walked into the room where the young woman lay. She had heard Zane call her Rebekah.

She was obviously in pain. Her breathing was labored and sweat beaded her forehead. Blood was quickly staining the white bandages wrapped around her stomach.

Rachael could feel her life fading... but what to do? She reached out with her magic.

The knife had ruptured the walls of the amniotic sac, where the baby was, and the fluid inside was leaking out with the blood.

Rachael set her hands on her stomach, and wrapped her magic around the baby, willing her magic to heal the puncture. The sack refilled with fluid, and the puncture sealed itself. The baby was safe.

Now for the mother. Rachael slowly withdrew her magic from the wound, healing as she went. She reached up and pulled the bandages away from the now healed wound.

She slowly stood, feeling her world sway. She had used up way to much energy. She turned toward Zane and the doctor. "They should be fine now. Make sure she rests a lot for a while."

She then felt her world tilt as she passed out.


	10. Chapter 9

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 9

Andreios stood on the balcony of his rooms. A soldier strode in, saluted, and reported. They had stabbed a serpiente princess through her pregnant belly. She had fallen, and was carried away by the tiger. The remaining soldiers quickly retreated to the palace.

They may have killed the pregnant princess, but Rei wasn't sure. It might be a victory of sorts, perhaps.

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Zane held his newborn nephew in his arms. He was very grateful to Rachael, since both his sister and her child were fine.

Rebekah wanted Rachael to name the child, since she had saved his life. He wasn't sure what she had one to save their lives, but he did know that it was due to her that they were alive.

He had seen her lay her hands on Rebekah's swollen stomach. Rachael had then seemed to slip into some sort of trance. Not long after, Rebekah's breathing eased, and Rachael had pulled back the bandage to reveal smooth, unbroken skin. Later, Rebekah had gone into labor and had had the still-unnamed child.

Rachael was resting in a room the doctors had taken her to when she passed out. She was going to be fine, they said. She was just exhausted.

Zane sensed someone behind him and turned to see Rachael leaning against the door way. She looked very tired.

"So, he was born." She looked at the child, then up at Zane. "What's his name?"

"Rebekah wanted you to name him, since you saved his life."

"Really?" She looked surprised. Zane handed her the baby. "He's very cute." She held him to her. "I think ... he should be named Damien. It is a strong name."

"And his middle name?" Zane questioned.

"Zak. After my little brother. Damien Zak Cobriana."

Zak? Brother? Where was this sibling? Were there more? Zane opened his mouth to ask some of these questions, when Gregory approached.

Zane sensed Rachael tense beside him. "Rachael, relax. This is my brother Gregory."

Gregory stepped around Zane, and stood more in Rachael's line of sight. "I am sorry to alarm you milady." Rachael's look of shocked surprise was priceless, Zane decided. Gregory continued. "I merely wanted to see my newborn nephew and the woman who so graciously saved his and his mother's lives."

Rachael looked absolutely shocked. "I ... I don't know what to say. No one has ever thanked me for saving them..."

Zane was impressed with Greg's charm. He smiled at him. "Flustering saviors is exactly what the family would appreciate." He joked lightly.

"I know. I am about to go patrol. I just wanted to say hello first."

"You are going to patrol? By yourself" Rachael's eyes stared at Greg intensely.

"Yes, I am of age. I need to know how to lead troops for..." Greg broke off, looking unsure of himself.

"The war. Of course." Rachael seemed worried about his little brother. "Maybe I should go with you.." She took a step forward, then had to lean against the wall again for support.

"No, he'll be fine. And you need rest." Zane said.

"Alright. If you're sure..." She said.

"I am. He'll be fine." Zane assured her.

"Nice meeting you, milady, but I must leave you now." Greg leaned down and kissed Damien on the head, turned and left.

The silence was overwhelming and slightly awkward. "Umm. I guess I'll go tell Rebekah her son's name." Zane turned to leave.

"Wait." Zane turned, looking at Rachael. "Here," she handed Damien to him. "I am going to sleep some more."

"Yes, that will be good," Zane said, leaving as Rachael shut the door behind her.

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Rachael was tired. Really really tired. She had used up much too much of her energy saving the Cobrianas.

But that child... He had been quite handsome, as far as she could tell. He was going to grow up to be quite the man. And them allowing her to name him... It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her outside of her family. She hoped Gregory would be okay on his patrol. She didn't want anything to happen to this family, after they had been so kind to her.


	11. Chapter 10

Title: A Night to Remember

Author: midnightspyder

Rating: Teen, for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawksong. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, please don't sue me!

Chapter 10

Andreios was both pleased and horrified by the most current battle. Pleased that the tiger seemed to have vanished from the forest for a while, and that they had managed to kill off one of the last Cobriana princes. Horrified, because Xavier Shardae had lost his life as well. Danica was now the final heir to th Shardae throne.

As he watched Danica sing Gregory Cobriana to the other side, he pondered her words. Just how much he would do to end this war? He wasn't entirely sure.

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Zane was in shock. He had sworn that no others in his family would die, but yet, Gregory was dead! How could this have happened?!

He stumbled through the halls, avoiding and seeking company. Everyone he met, he wanted to get away from. When he was alone, he felt an emptiness inside of him that made him feel lost.

As he stumbled down yet another dark passageway, he came to a room that was seldom used, if at all.

He staggered inside without noticing what he was doing. By the window, sitting against the wall was Rachael. She looked up at him, and then patted the floor next to her. Zane sat down without thinking, leaning against the wall next to her.

He looked over at Rachael, to see tears shining in her eyes. Before he knew it, he was crying on Rachael's shoulder, her arms around him. He bawled until he had no tears left, then lay still with his head on her shoulder.

The emptiness was gone. He could survive again. The world didn't seem as dark anymore. He slowly raised his head, to see Rachael's eyes looking at him levelly.

Zane suddenly had to know what had happened to her brother. "What happened to your brother?" Zane questioned, almost afraid of the answer.

A pained look entered her eyes. "He was killed. By avians." She had a faraway look in her eyes.

"Did you have other siblings?"

She opened her mouth to answer, when a messenger ran into the room. "Zane, Sir, Charis request your presence in the synkal. She also tells you to find someone named Rachael."

Rachael stood. "Well, I'm Rachael, so I guess I'm found." She offered a hand to Zane, then helped him stand.

The messenger ran off, probably to find someone else and tell them the news. Rachael began following Zane to the synkal. Just as they were about to enter through the door, Rachael turned to him. "And to answer your question, I had three other siblings. Two sisters and another brother."

Had four siblings? The only reason he could think of for her to speak of them in the past tense was that... oh... Zane suddenly understood why Rachael had understood his loss so easily.

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Rachael felt Zane's pain. Really, she did. Losing siblings sucked. A lot. It was rivaled only by losing your whole family... but never mind. She was focused on helping Zane get over his pain, not bring up her old wounds.

They walked into the synkal, and she was immediately sent back out. "Go to your room!" Charis had ordered, as thought Rachael was one of her own children to boss around. She wouldn't be wounded by the coldness, though. Charis had lost another of her children today, and Rachael was really tired.

She climbed into the bed, still seeing Gregory Cobriana's face clearly in her mind. Such a kind, handsome boy... He died far too soon. But so did everyone in this war.

Tiredness swept over her, and she began to drift to sleep. For the first time in a long while, she found herself dreaming of happy times with her family. Her dad laughed, her mom smiled, and her siblings played around her. The sun shone around them in their forest home, and times were good...

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(A/N) Hello! Wow, I am REALLY sorry that I haven't been updating as much as I would have liked too, but we are almost to finals, and then I will have more free time. Probably spent mostly on updating, I think.

If you feel inclined to do so, I would appreciate if you would review this story. This is my first "really serious" fanfiction, and I would like to know what others think of it.

I also am having a slight amount of trouble getting my chapters set up right. Somehow, some got misnamed, and I am trying to fix it. Bear with me, here.


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